Texas Distance Festival 2026: Leonard Flirts with History, Bristow Doubles, and Southlake Delivers
The Texas Distance Festival has long been one of the premier early-season distance meets in the country, and the 2026 edition — presented by HOKA and hosted at Carroll High School in Southlake — lived up to every bit of that billing across two nights of racing. With events split across the two days — the 800m and 3200m on Friday, and the 1600m and 5K on Saturday — the new format gave runners a genuine shot at the double, and several of the state’s elite took full advantage.
Boys Mile: As Close as It Gets
Saturday night’s headliner was exactly that — a headliner.
Southlake Carroll’s Caden Leonard, one of the most decorated high school distance runners to ever lace up in this state, ran 4:01.02 to win the Boys Elite Mile. For context: Reed Brown’s historic 3:59.30 — the fastest mile ever run by a Texas high school athlete — came in St. Louis. Sam Worley’s sub-4 came out of state as well. Leonard’s 4:01.02, run right here on Carroll’s home track, stacks up as one of the fastest verified outdoor miles ever run by a Texas prep miler on Texas soil, and the argument for the fastest is a credible one.
Look at how he ran it. Leonard went through the opening quarter in 1:01.32 — controlled, no heroics — then unleashed his fastest lap of the race on the second quarter, a 58.53 that had him through the half in 1:59.85. He came back through three-quarters in 3:00.72 (a 1:00.87 third lap) and closed in 1:00.31 for a final of 4:01.013. That’s a textbook sub-4 attempt — a patient opening quarter, a decisive move through the middle, and then holding on with authority over the final two laps. When runners go sub-4, they often look exactly like this on paper. Leonard knows the script.
This performance didn’t come out of nowhere. Just weeks ago in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, Leonard ran 4:00.07 at the ASICS Sound Running Invite — just eight hundredths of a second from becoming only the third Texas high school athlete in history to break four minutes. He was the top high school finisher in that race, holding his own against post-collegiate competitors in a professional-caliber field. Saturday’s 4:01.02 brings him home and underscores what’s already been an extraordinary senior season. The sub-4 is still out there. The fitness is clearly there.
Behind him, it was a loaded field. Noah Strohman of Holliday — an Oklahoma State signee who has won the UIL 3A state cross country title all four years of his career and holds three state track titles each in the 1600m and 3200m — crossed in 4:10.76 for second. Ruel Newberry of Denton Guyer ran 4:11.12 for third. And Ryder Strohman, Noah’s twin brother and fellow Oklahoma Christian University signee, ran 4:13.10 for fourth — making it a Strohman family statement in what may be one of their last Texas high school mile appearances.
Boys 1600m: Asbill Opens His Spring
The Boys 1600m belonged to Dayton’s Jaxon Asbill, who won in 4:11.84 to kick off what figures to be a memorable final track season.
Asbill has had one of the quietly great senior campaigns in Texas 5A distance running. Last November at the UIL 5A State Cross Country Championships in Round Rock, he finished as the state runner-up — posting a 15:10.3 personal best on the Old Settlers Park course, just four seconds behind winner Colby Huntress of Austin L.C. Anderson who pulled away late. Now he’s back on the track, and if his TDF opener is any indication, the best may still be ahead.
Behind Asbill, Alan Gallardo-Lopez (4:13.09), Ethan Johnston (4:13.37), and Sean Burns (4:13.57) made for a tightly bunched top four. Lincoln Wright, who also ran a strong 800m on Friday night, and Aiden Fitzgerald further illustrated the range of talent across the field.
Girls Distance: Bristow Does What Bristow Does
If you’ve followed Texas girls distance running this season, the name Addyson Bristow is already burned into your brain. The Canyon senior and Oklahoma State signee showed up at TDF and did what she does — dominate.
Bristow swept both the Girls 800m and Girls 1600m across the two nights of racing, winning the 800m in 2:09.11 and the 1600m in 4:46.61. The 2:09.11 in the 800m falls just a tick outside her 2:09.06 personal best — splitting hairs on a performance that still opened a clear gap at the tape. In the 1600m, her 4:46.61 was simply in a different gear from the rest of the field.
She holds five state meet records — the 800m, 1600m, and 4x400m in track, plus the cross country 3200m individual record and the fastest team average in state cross country history. Ten state gold medals. She’s earned three Coaches Association Athlete of the Year honors. The double at TDF is just one more data point in a career that’s been writing its own chapter in Texas distance running history.
In the 800m, Madeline Clark ran a sharp 2:09.17 to push Bristow all the way to the wire — a margin of just six hundredths of a second that made for a memorable finish. Madison Lange rounded out the top three in 2:11.56.
The 1600m was similarly deep. Lange again showed her range with 4:47.40 for second. Lilly Beshears (4:48.66), Eva Cragnolino (4:48.86), and Macy Wingard (4:48.95) all cracked 4:49, making for an extraordinarily competitive top five that speaks to the depth of the Texas girls middle distance scene heading into the spring.
The Rest of the Podiums
Girls 3200m: Gabbie Bishop took the win in 10:25.50, leading a quality 14-runner field. Payton Meineke (10:31.02) and Presli Pool (10:34.24) rounded out the top three.
Boys 3200m: Liam Folk edged Aiden Fitzgerald in a strong race, 9:03.18 to 9:04.17, with Noah Garcia (9:05.42) and Lucas Kranz (9:07.68) close behind. Twenty finishers went under 9:27 — a deep, competitive heat top to bottom.
Girls 5K: Ava Cornelius took the top spot in 17:29.63, followed by Hope Smith (17:35.64) and Luna Gutierrez (17:55.49).
Boys 5K: Kai Gutierrez led the way in 14:50.82 over Avinash Dewagan (14:52.40) and Noah Loweree (14:55.04). Anthony Morales and Armando Morales of La Feria appeared in both the 5K and the 3200m, continuing to show the kind of range that makes them worth watching deep into the spring.
Boys 800m: Lincoln Wright won the 800m in 1:52.35, with Benjamin Scrapper (1:53.42), Zachary Brumfield (1:53.62), and Fletcher Draper (1:53.63) all bunched tight behind him.
Final Thought
Two nights in Southlake. One meet that reminded everyone why March in Texas is appointment viewing for distance fans. Leonard’s 4:01 will be talked about for weeks — and with UIL postseason on the horizon, the state’s best are just getting started.
Full results from the 2026 Texas Distance Festival are available at athletic.net.